SAGINAW, MI — A preliminary investigation into the Aug. 25 Ohio plane crash that killed four people indicates the Saginaw Township pilot was making a left turn when the plane descended and crashed into the ground.

William Felten

The Aug. 25 crash, just north of Cuyahoga County Airport in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, killed William Felten, 20, of Saginaw, Michigan; Lucas Marcelli, 20, of Massillon, Ohio; Abraham Pishevar, 18, of Rockville, Maryland, and John Hill, 18, of St. Simons, Georgia.

Felten and the three passengers boarded the plane at about 9 p.m., according to the Aug. 29 preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, and witnesses said one of the passengers carried a suitcase for a short sightseeing trip, Cleveland.com reports.

The plane idled for about 30 minutes on the runway as Felten prepared for takeoff, according to the report.

The air traffic control agent assigned the plane to runway six. Felton taxied to a runway before the air traffic control agent stopped him, the report states.

"About (four) minutes later, the controller informed the pilot that he is taxiing to the wrong runway," the report states. "After asking the controller to repeat what he said, the pilot stated, 'Thank you, I'm sorry.'"

After taking off, the pilot radioed they were not climbing fast and they wanted to immediately make a left turn to turn around, the report said.

Air traffic control approved the move that is described by many pilots and flight instructors as "the impossible turn," a bank back toward the runway just after takeoff, Cleveland.com reports.

The plane struck the ground, a chain link fence, a guy wire, and a telephone pole before it came to rest about 1,000 feet from the end of the runway, according to the report.

A more detailed report could take up to a year for the NTSB to complete.